Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Ashford and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Ashford
E07000105 · Kent Police
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
E06000058 · Dorset Police
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
+1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
142,523
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
263,306 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
405,829
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£37,440
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£53 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
£37,493
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£344,332
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£32,170 more in Ashford
£312,162
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,246
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£153 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
£1,399
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
3.0%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.4 percentage points higher in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
3.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+752
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
261 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
+1,013
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,410
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£25 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
£2,436
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
19.7
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.2 more in Ashford
17.5
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
20.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.7 percentage points higher in Ashford
19.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
76.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
10.4 more in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
86.6
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
9.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.9 years more in Ashford
8.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
39.9%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
4.9 percentage points higher in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
44.8%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.44%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.06 percentage points higher in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
6.50%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,599
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
87 more in Ashford
10,512
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,752
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
560 more in Ashford
3,192
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 142,523 in Ashford and 405,829 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,440 in Ashford and £37,493 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (2025); and average house price was £344,332 in Ashford and £312,162 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 142,523 in Ashford and 405,829 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,440 in Ashford and £37,493 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (2025); and average house price was £344,332 in Ashford and £312,162 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Ashford per 1,000 | offences | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 76.2 | 10,863 | 86.6 | 35,158 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 | 97 | 1.1 | 446 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.3 | 330 | 3.1 | 1,278 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.9 | 982 | 6.0 | 2,429 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 2.5 | 351 | 2.0 | 822 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.3 | 326 | 0.7 | 289 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.4 | 776 | 5.3 | 2,138 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.0 | 144 | 0.5 | 208 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 3.2 | 455 | 4.1 | 1,667 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 73 | 0.8 | 325 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 6.7 | 958 | 7.7 | 3,114 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 38 | 0.4 | 173 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 2.6 | 365 | 5.5 | 2,239 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 28.1 | 4,007 | 27.0 | 10,977 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (142,523 and 405,829 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.